Egg crate



Feb. 19 1924.

. STOTHART ET AL 'EGG CRATE Filed Oct. 16. 1922 patented Feb., lg,11924.

JMES R. STOEHBT AND LEON BERNSTEIN, OF COUSHATTA, LOUISIANA.

EGG CRATE.

.application led ctober 16, 1922. Serial No. 594,903.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that We, JAMES R. STOTHART and LEON BnRNsTEIN, citizens ofthe United States, both residing at Coushatta, in the 5 parish of RedRiver and State of Louisiana,

have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Egg Crates, ofwhich the following is a specification. j

The present invention relates tovimprovel ments in egg crates inv whichprovision is made for transporting eggs or similar fragile articleswithout entailing breakage and the invention has for its primary objectto secure in an egg crate at relatively low l cost and involving butsimple manufacture a4 high degree of safety for the contents.

Other objects of the invention are to provide an egg crate into whichthe eggs may be readily introduced and from whlch they may with equalfacility be removed, while at the same time to provide elastic devicesfor tightly embracing the eggs so long as they remain in the carton orcategto utilize in connection with the construction of such a crate,material that is readily available and can be had at small cost; and tosecure a crate which may be ltransported quickly and readily because ofthe fact that so much care need not be exercised in handling the same.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention will be morefully described hereinafter, and will be more particularly pointed outin the claims appended hereto.

ln the drawings, wherein like symbols refer to like or correspondingparts throughout the several views,

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the crate in the open position,

Figure 2 is a vertical section taken through the crate in its closedposition,

Figure 3 is a vertical section taken on the line 3-3 in Figure 2,

Figure fi is a fragmentary perspective view of one corner of the crateclosed, and

Figure 5 is a fragmentary end view showing a detail of the end portion.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the crate consists mainlyof a body and a cover of two similar and complemental sections which arehinged together as indicated at 1. The body portion consists of an openrectangular frame made up of side rails 2 and 3 and front and rear bars4: and

5 which are dove tailed or otherwise secured together.

Within the rectangular open frame is a cellular structure composed ofpartitions 6 extending in spaced relation between the front and rearbeams 4 and 5 and bars 7 extending between the side rails 2 and 3 andbeing mortised into the lower portion of the partitions 6 in order toproperly space the partitions and to reinforce them throughout theirlength and in general to build up a strong and durable cellularstructure within the open frame work.

Now the bar 7 also forms a number of supports at fixed intervals for thewide bands of rubber 8 which are stretched between each of thepartitions 6 and between the outermost partitions and the rails 2 and 3.Such rubber bands are stretched in suitable tension and have their endsengaged in slots-9 and 10 in the front and rear bars 4 and 5. Strips orenlargements 11 are vulcanized or otherwise secured to the extremitiesof the rubber bands in order to avoid their pulling through the openings9 and 10.

The upper edges of the partitions 6 are slotted as indicated at 12 toreceive pairs of relatively thin narrow rubber bands 13. These bandsintersect the relatively larger bands and they are also xed in slots 14and 15 in the side rails 2 and 3, being preferably pinched in theseSlots so as to hold the bands in place. y

rlhe lbands are situated apart a suitable distance to receivetherebetween an egg in the manner indicated in Figure 1 wherein the egg,which rests at its lower end upon one of the bottom broad bands 8 issupported at its sides by the bands 13 which are put under tension andtherefore firmly hold the egg in position.

Now the top section is similarly constructed of a front beam 16 and rearbeam 17 and side rails 18 and 19, all united together in an openskeleton structure having similar cells provided by the partitions 2Owhich in this instance extend between the rails 18 and 19 and in otherwords intersect the partitions of the body section. rlhe top portions ofthe partitions receive the bars 21 which are mortised into thepartitions and are secured to the front and rear beams 16 and 17. Flatwide rubber bands 22 lie in spaces between the partitions 2O and aresecured in a similar manner to the bands in the body need not be hingedbut may be simply laidA one upon another and secured together. In anyevent the opposite end portions oi the egg will engage the wide rubberbands 8 and 22 while the lateral portions of the egg will be receivedbetween the thin rubber bands 13 and 23 and it will be noted that thepairs of bands will engage at right angles to one anothervso that thesebands will avoid the egg sliding sidewisein the cell which might allowit to come into contact with the wooden partition and be broken.

With a crate of this character the eggs are individually held incushioned cells and are prevented from coming into;Y contact with rigidparts so that the carton or crate may be subjected to rough handlingwithout the likelihood of causing a breakage or injury to the contents.

It is obvious that various changes and modifications may be made in thedetails of construction and design of the above specifically describedembodiment of vthis inventionvwithout departing from the spirit thereof,such changes and modifications be-v ing restricted only by the scopelowing claims. Y

What is claimed is:

1. An egg` crate comprising a body section, a top sectionpartitionsdisposed in said top and body sections and dividing. thecrate into anumber of cells adapted toreceive eggs, broad flat rubber bandsstretched of the folacrossthe top and body sections above and below theopposite ends of. the eggs, and

pairs of relatively. thin rubber bands held by said partitions forengaging the lateral portions of the eggs, substantially as described. Y

2. An egg crate comprising a body, a cover for the body, said body andcover being made up of rectangular open-frames,

intersecting partitions mounted in said open frames and dividing thecrate into a number of cells for receiving the' eggs, broad rubber bandsstretched across the bottom portion of the body and upper portion of thetop and lying beyond the ends of the cells for receiving the oppositeend portions of the eggs, said eggs adapted to engage and placetherubber under tension when the cover isclosed on the body, and pairsof relatively narrow rubber bands carried by the open frame works and bythe partitions and extending through'the cells at opposite lateralportions of the eggs near the ends thereof and adaptedto space the eggsfrom the A partitions, substantially as described.

3. An egg crate comprising a body composed of a substantiallyrectangular skeleton frame, a cellular structure mounted fast` Withinsaid frame, a 4number of bands stretched from Vone side toY the other ofthe bottom portion offthe body beneath rows of the cells and beingunattached to said cellularstructure, pairs of relatively narrow rub-Vber bands attached to saidirame and to the cellular structure andadapted to engage side portions ofthe egg, acoverfor theV body A alsomade up of anV open' frame, a rcellular structure therein, broad rubberbands stretched across from one side to the other of the lower part ofsaid body, and pairs of rubber bands carried by said cover and feX-tending `at right angles to the bands of the body for engaging sideportions of the egg, the eggs adapted to engage at their ends and toseatr'in the broadv bands carried by both the bodyV and cover,substantially.v as described. JAMES R. STOTHART.

. LEON BEIRNSTlSZIlT..`

